Verse 3.11.2

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 3.11.2:

स धर्मो व्यतिरिक्तो वा तेषामात्मैव वा तथा ।
भेदहेतुत्वमाश्रित्य सङ्ख्येति व्यपदिश्यते ॥ २ ॥

sa dharmo vyatirikto vā teṣāmātmaiva vā tathā |
bhedahetutvamāśritya saṅkhyeti vyapadiśyate || 2 ||

2. Let it be a property different from the things where it resides or let it be part of their essence. Number (saṃkhyā) is so called because it is the cause of the presentation of difference.

Commentary

[According to the Vaiśeṣikas, number is a quality residing in substance. Some people argue that when a thing is by itself it is one and when it is with others, we talk about them as two, three and so on. It is a question of whether a thing is in company or not. Number is nothing different from things themselves. This is not right. Our cognitions differ in the two cases. It is not the same thing to perceive a thing as being in company or to perceive it as one of two or more objects. Numbers like hundred etc. exist in several things together. They ate vyāsajyavṛtti (inhering in more than one) and they are perceived by apekṣābuddhi. So argue the Vaiśeṣikas. Others maintain that number is not different from where it is found. They say that number can never be perceived apart from the things where it is found. Things arc perceived as qualified by number and this can never be if number were absolutely different from its abode. But grammarians are not concerned with what things really are. They arc concerned with the notions which help in the explanation of the forms of words. The question now is: what is the nature of the meaning which numerals present? From these numerals, we understand some property which helps us to distinguish things. Things can never be talked about except through their properties. Number is one such property. It helps us to speak about things (samcaṣṭe). Hence it is called saṃkhyā.]

If it is something which exists in a substance, how is it that we sometimes speak about qualities etc. through it?